CENTURY OF PORTRAITS

This series traces the tropes of America’s decades from the Great Depression to the depression elicited by the omnipresence of and addiction to smartphones today. Every moment in time contains a story deeper than solely what is visible, which is contrasted in the series’ side-by-side shots. The series is not hopeful, not glistening; it is down to earth, real, and mundane. The series is not larger-than-life because it is life itself.

“1920s: War Torn”Epitomized by WWI, she waits for her husband to return to her and their two children. He does not return.

“1930s: Tainted Sadness”Color taints movement, taints power, taints talent. He moves, he dreams, he plays. He plays is heart out for his father and family who are the only ones who believe in him in a world tainted by darkness and discrimination.

“1940s: The Jobless Accountant”In the early 1940s, the era of The Great Depression, a young man dresses up for a lofty accounting job that doesn’t exist, he wonders when his time will finally come.

“1950s: Home Sweet Home”She keeps the house neat, the kids fed, and the husband happy. After a long day, she sits down at the TV and dreams about a different life. A life of meaning, fulfillment, and independence.

“1960s: War of Love”A reality of war Vietnam sets in at home when he is drafted and he is motivated to reject the national military complex and war through protest.

“1970s: Political Identity”In midst of pivotal political events, a college student sits in his room, neglecting what's happening around him and thinks to himself- “politics don't affect me”

“1980s: Dreams of Color”A young man moves to the city confident and hopeful for a new beginning. With his prospects on the rise-- his future and his smile is bright as day.

“1990s: The Sound of Music”A new era in music ushers more inclusive and more diverse artists and beats but headphones cannot tune out the exclusive realities still faced by people of color.

“2000's: Artificial Loneliness”Video games have become his release and his escape from the real world. But he soon realizes that video games are not his escape from the world, they have become his world.

“Modern Day: A Filtered Life”A perfect filtered life on display masks a shallow depression and darkness. But the very enabler-- the phone-- is an addiction held close to the heart even when there is #nofilter.